Magic of Mother's Milk

Avodah Zara 10b

One of the most fascinating relationships in Jewish history is the one between Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi (Rebbie), the head of the Sanhedrin and leader of the Jewish People, and Antoninus, the head of the Roman Empire.

What was there that motivated the mighty emperor to humble himself before the spiritual head of a people who suffered persecution during the reigns of his predecessors?

Tosefot cites a midrash which offers a solution to this mystery. When Rebbie was born there was a Roman ban on circumcision. Upon learning that his parents had defied the ban and had made a brit mila, the emperor summoned Rebbie's mother to appear before him with her circumcised son. Somehow she succeeded in switching her baby with the uncircumcised baby Antoninus whom she nursed before coming before the emperor. This succeeded in saving her life and that of her son, and the mother's milk which Antoninus received from such a saintly source had such an impact on him that when he ascended to the throne he maintained a relationship with Rebbie which culminated in his conversion to Judaism.

What the Sages Say

"Some gain their world-to-come in one hour while others do so only in many years."

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